Chinese idioms – why and where to start?

Chinese learners are often told 成语 (chéngyǔ), the four-character idioms, are essential to reach native-like fluency. What are these idioms exactly and how important are they?

What are Chinese idioms or 成语 (chéngyǔ)?

The word 成语 (chéngyǔ) – taken literally – means so much as “already made words”. The typical English translation is Chinese idioms. If we can believe Baidu quoting the Xinhua dictionary, Chinese has more than 30.000 of them. Usually it’s a fixed combination of 4 or sometimes 8 characters that express a profound meaning that derived from ancients myths, fairy tales, Chinese philosophy, poetry and so on. This means that more often than not – to really grasp their meaning – you have to be familiar with the idiom’s story. To figure out how they are used in daily Chinese is even more complicated.

The benefits of learning Chinese idioms or 成语 (chéngyǔ)

Once you move beyond – say – HSK 4 or 5, it grows harder and harder to avoid learning at least a small number of the most basic of Chinese idioms. For native Chinese speakers they are an essential part of the language and culture, but – that being said – it’s not like they drop a chengyu in every second sentence. If you’re reaching for the higher fluency levels, you need a certain degree of passive knowledge of idioms to improve your comprehension of written and spoken Chinese. And – arguably – to take your “cultural literacy” to the next level, although in most cases that won’t be your priority as a learner. When I learned German for example, I read a great deal of Goethe, Schiller, E.T.A. Hoffmann and others, only to find out that “the common German” doesn’t care that much. In terms of improving my communication skills, I could have spent my time far more productively. I think it’s similar with Chinese idioms, that’s why I don’t want to overstate the benefits.

Let me quote John Pasden from Sinosplice instead:

“The fact is that teaching Chinese to foreigners on any large scale is a relatively new thing, and as such, some kinks are still being worked out. Early efforts at teaching foreigners involved a lot of transference of educational methods used on Chinese children. Memorization of Tang dynasty poems, writing out each new character hundreds of times, and memorizing lists of chengyu long before they’re actually useful are time-honored traditions when it comes to teaching Chinese kids their native language. That doesn’t mean these methods are effective for non-Chinese adults learning Chinese, especially when basic communication is the goal.” (https://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2013/11/06/the-chengyu-bias)

By the way, Chinese are impressed if non-native speakers use chengyu, but not always for the right reasons. Just think about how you would react if someone who speaks basic English suddenly answers your question by quoting Shakespeare.

Learn Chinese idioms – start from which level?

I just reviewed a new book on getting fluent in Chinese that states you should start speaking from Day One and skip anything non-essential. If that basic assumption is true, where do Chinese idioms fit into this? Just take a quick look at this Chinese idiom story book for children – is it productive to memorize all of them?

Well, unless you’re into the Chinese classics and ancient literature, the answer is: no, probably not. Others may disagree, but I can’t see why you should learn idioms that are mainly part of the written language and have limited usage. Instead, I’d suggest to focus on those idioms you actually encounter on a (more or less) daily basis in the “ordinary language”. A few of them, you typically learn early on, like:

• 马马虎虎 (mǎ mǎ hū hū) – so-so, not so bad, “horse, horse, tiger, tiger” (learned this one in my first ever Chinese lesson)
• 乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) – everything in disorder, all sixes and sevens (a common one, often heard)
• 入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú) – when you enter a village, follow the local customs, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” (learned that one in Chinese class in China)
• 一路平安 (yī lù píng ān) – have a safe trip (quite useful)

These four idioms and a few others will get you a long way. So you don’t even have to worry about the when-question that much – you don’t come to them, they’ll come to you. And when they introduce themselves, you’ll see who’s important and who’s merely an infrequent visitor.

Learn Chinese idioms – what if I like to read?

That’s a different question, although the answer doesn’t really change. Once you start reading books like “To Live” or “Game of Thrones” in Chinese, you’ll need to expand your idiom-related vocabulary or will do so automatically in the process of reading. Here are just a few idiom examples from the first chapters of “Game of Thrones”:

• 措手不及 (cuò shǒu bù jí) – be caught unprepared
• 大失所望 (dà shī suǒ wàng) – to one’s great disappointment
• 视如无睹 (shì rú wú dǔ) – take no notice of what one sees
• 口无遮拦 (kǒu wú zhē lán) – have a loose tongue
• 甜言蜜语 (tián yán mì yǔ) – sweet words and honeyed phrases

Actually, I found dozens of them. Sometimes you can guess their meaning, sometimes you can’t. One thing’s for sure: it’s impossible or – let’s say – not very productive to memorize them all.

Learn Chinese idioms – how?

Efficiency is important, so focus on high-frequency idioms only. One thing to notice is that many idioms are used in fairly specific contexts, much more so than in English for example. As a non-native you might think you grasped the meaning and use the chengyu in the right way, unfortunately, it’s not that simple. That’s why it makes sense to learn them in a phrase, so you see how they are used in a sentence and get a sense of the context. I personally haven’t found this kind of learning material, so the best alternative may be to ask a Chinese friend for help or try ChatGPT.

Commonly used Chinese idioms

If you’re interested in Chinese idioms or – like me – struggling with reading novels and the like, tackling the most frequently used Chinese idioms can be a step forward. However, as far as I can see, there is no consensus on what the “most frequently used” idioms are.

Here’s the source I use a the moment: I started learning the “Essential Idioms” from the vocabulary trainer app Daily Chinese. Despite a small number of familiar idioms, this is the most challenging set of vocabulary I’ve done so far. Five new idioms a day and retention is not good. Here are the first 35 to give you an impression (and to help my memory):

1. 一无所有 (yī wú suǒ yǒu) – utterly lacking; having nothing at all
   Origin: Describes complete poverty, originally found in Buddhist texts referring to renouncing worldly possessions.
2. 马马虎虎 (mǎ mǎ hū hū) – so-so, careless; “horse-horse, tiger-tiger”
   Origin: Comes from a humorous story about a painter whose careless painting looked like both a horse and a tiger, causing confusion and trouble.
3. 乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) – everything in disorder; chaotic
   Origin: Colloquial, vividly describing a disorderly state with mixed-up numbers for emphasis.
4. 半途而废 (bàn tú ér fèi) – to give up halfway
   Origin: From the classic Confucian text Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean), meaning to stop prematurely before achieving a goal.
5. 理所当然 (lǐ suǒ dāng rán) – as it should be; naturally
   Origin: Ancient philosophical texts; literally means “according to reason, it should be this way.”
6. 不可思议 (bù kě sī yì) – unimaginable; inconceivable
   Origin: Originally from Buddhist scripture describing something beyond human understanding.
7. 七上八下 (qī shàng bā xià) – anxious; unsettled
   Origin: Numbers used metaphorically to depict emotional instability or uncertainty.
8. 九牛一毛 (jiǔ niú yī máo) – insignificant; “one hair among nine oxen”
   Origin: First appeared in Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian, signifying triviality.
9. 顺其自然 (shùn qí zì rán) – let nature take its course
   Origin: Daoist philosophy encouraging non-action (wu wei) and harmony with natural processes.
10. 自由自在 (zì yóu zì zài) – carefree; leisurely
    Origin: Common phrase expressing a state of total freedom, from classical literature and poetry.
11. 破财免灾 (pò cái miǎn zāi) – financial loss preventing disaster
    Origin: Folk wisdom implying minor losses can prevent greater misfortune.
12. 脱颖而出 (tuō yǐng ér chū) – to reveal one’s talent; to stand out
    Origin: From historical records describing a sharp spike emerging from its sheath, symbolizing exceptional talent becoming visible.
13. 一丝不苟 (yī sī bù gǒu) – meticulous; extremely careful
    Origin: Literally “not one thread loose”; describes painstaking attention to detail.
14. 司空见惯 (sī kōng jiàn guàn) – a common occurrence; nothing unusual
    Origin: Named after an official named Sikong whose job frequently exposed him to situations others rarely saw, thus becoming commonplace.
15. 一鸣惊人 (yī míng jīng rén) – amaze everyone at the first try; overnight success
    Origin: From Records of the Grand Historian, referring to an ancient king’s bird that remained silent for years but stunned everyone when it finally sang.
16. 一窍不通 (yī qiào bù tōng) – completely ignorant; clueless
    Origin: Refers literally to “not a single orifice is open,” humorously meaning no understanding at all.
17. 谈何容易 (tán hé róng yì) – easier said than done
    Origin: Common expression highlighting the difficulty of executing something compared to just discussing it.
18. 一见钟情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng) – love at first sight
    Origin: Romantic literary origins, describing immediate emotional attraction.
19. 爱不释手 (ài bù shì shǒu) – loving something too much to put it down
    Origin: Found in historical novels, indicating extreme fondness.
20. 自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn) – self-contradiction
    Origin: From the ancient story of a merchant selling a spear (矛) that could penetrate anything, and a shield (盾) that nothing could penetrate.
21. 倾盆大雨 (qīng pén dà yǔ) – heavy downpour
    Origin: Poetically describes rain pouring as if from a turned-over basin.
22. 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) – ruin by adding something unnecessary; “drawing feet on a snake”
    Origin: Ancient parable warning against unnecessary actions.
23. 守口如瓶 (shǒu kǒu rú píng) – tight-lipped; secretive
    Origin: Visual imagery of tightly sealed bottles, suggesting secrecy and discretion.
24. 塞翁失马 (sài wēng shī mǎ) – a blessing in disguise
    Origin: Taoist parable about an old man whose lost horse later brought good fortune, illustrating fate’s unpredictability.
25. 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) – preaching to deaf ears; “playing lute to cows”
    Origin: From a humorous anecdote meaning wasting efforts on someone who can’t understand or appreciate them.
26. 入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú) – when in Rome, do as the Romans do
    Origin: Traditional wisdom promoting adaptability in foreign environments.
27. 胸有成竹 (xiōng yǒu chéng zhú) – well-prepared; having a plan in mind
    Origin: From a painter who knew bamboo so thoroughly he could depict it from memory without effort.
28. 淋漓尽致 (lín lí jìn zhì) – vividly and thoroughly
    Origin: Originates in literary criticism praising vivid, thoroughly expressed style.
29. 庸人自扰 (yōng rén zì rǎo) – worry unnecessarily; “mediocre people trouble themselves”
    Origin: From ancient literature criticizing needless self-induced anxiety.
30. 绵里藏针 (mián lǐ cáng zhēn) – wolf in sheep’s clothing; hidden malice
    Origin: Metaphorically describes hidden dangers within something gentle.
31. 迫不及待 (pò bù jí dài) – impatient; unable to wait
    Origin: From classic novels describing urgent eagerness.
32. 厚此薄彼 (hòu cǐ bó bǐ) – favoritism; biased treatment
    Origin: From Confucian criticism of unfair treatment.
33. 墨守成规 (mò shǒu chéng guī) – rigid adherence to rules; conservative
    Origin: Refers historically to Mo Di’s (墨子) disciples strictly following established rules.
34. 随心所欲 (suí xīn suǒ yù) – doing as one pleases
    Origin: Confucius used this positively to describe one who, after achieving moral mastery, could act freely without crossing ethical boundaries.
35. 和蔼和亲 (hé ǎi hé qīn) – friendly and pleasant
    Origin: Common descriptive phrase highlighting a kind and approachable manner.

Conclusion

That’s pretty much it. If you’re main goal is real-life communication, then you shouldn’t prioritize Chinese idioms over high-frequency vocabulary that you can use to have real conversations. But if you are interested, focus on the most common examples like those from the Daily Chinese app I listed above.

PS Here are some articles about chengyu I found useful:

• https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-the-right-chengyu-the-right-way/: “Ever since I started learning Chinese, I’ve heard people say that if I want to impress native speakers and show that I really know Chinese, the key is to learn chengyu (成语/成語). They are often presented as magic keys not only to the Chinese language, but also to the culture, the people, the philosophy and so on. However, this approach has always irked me. The way chengyu are presented and taught is, in my opinion, flawed. In this article, I will share my own experience of chengyu and how I think they should be approached, both from a student’s and a teacher’s perspective.” (Must-read article on the subject)
• https://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2013/11/06/the-chengyu-bias: “So learners, don’t avoid chengyu, but don’t learn chengyu just because they’re chengyu. Don’t give chengyu special treatment when you could be improving your ability to communicate in Chinese. Just think of chengyu as the low frequency words they are, and when you start to encounter them naturally, learn them. When the time comes, you’ll recognize their usefulness in context and will see them more than once.” (amen : )
• https://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2005/12/21/my-chengyu-top-ten: “I decided to put together a list of what I consider the “top ten chengyu.” My top ten is determined by what I think a beginner/intermediate student is most likely to hear in conversation in China. I consider these ten the most useful, and the easiest to use.” (A great top 10)
• http://carlgene.com/blog/2010/07/20-actually-useful-chengyu-%E6%88%90%E8%AF%AD/: “Unfortunately, there are few resources – both on the web or in print – that actually tell you which chengyu are worth remembering. This is actually an important question considering that there are tens of thousands of them. Most textbooks simply give you a list of 100 or so and expect you to memorise them all, without actually telling you how they fit into a modern context. The worst are those massive lists you find on the Internet, often sourced from Chinese schools. These are merely lists of idioms that Chinese students are expected to learn at school and, whilst many of them may be well-known, native speakers simply don’t use them as often as you would expect.” (Another list: 20 chengyu that are actually useful and not just random examples)
• https://www.saporedicina.com/english/list-chengyu/: “So below you will find a list of 148 Chengyu and idiomatic phrases that are among the most used in modern China.” (Interesting list, but I’m not sure the “most used” categorization is accurate.)

Graded Chinese readers

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